Writing instrument



April 2, 1963 J. G. MARSAN 3,083,690

WRITING INSTRUMENT Filed May 2, 1960 A TTORNE Y United States Patent O M 3,fS3,690 'WEE E lNG lNSTRUli/IENT Julian Gutierrez Mar-ban, Miramar, Havana, Cuba (6233 Brookview Ave. S., Minneapolis 24, Minn.) Filed May 2, 1960, Ser. No. 26d-47 Qlaims. (Cl. 12u-42.16)

This invention relates to writing instruments and has special reference to a fountain pen of the double reservoir type, having valves which normally seal at least one of the reservoir sections from access to the atmosphere.

More particularly, this invention pertains to a -fountain pen including a barrel having a first valve dividing the interior thereof into auxiliary and primary reservoir sections, a writing element mounted on the forward end of the barrel, and a second valve within the barrel between the auxiliary reservoir section and the writing element, there being an axially movable filling member mounted within the barrel and extending from the rearward end of the primary reservoir to a position beyond the forward end of the barrel, the filling member being operatively connected to the valves and movable from an intermediate position closing both valves to a rearward position opening only the second valve and to a forward position opening only the first valve, the pen including means for selectively sealing the rearward end of the filling member.

In the usual type of fountain pen, it is necessary to allow for the controlled entry of air into the reservoir to replace the fluid used during writing. Because of the difference in weight, the air rises above the writing fluid in the reservoir and remains thereabove regardless of the position in which the fountain pen subsequently may be held.

The air thus present in a fountain pen reservoir is affected by the same influences as free atmospheric air, and it will expand or contract if subjected to fluctuations in temperature and/or pressure. Ordinarily an environmental change which causes contraction of air Will not adversely affect a pen, and in certain instances it may prove beneficial by drawing into the reservoir any excess fluid which might be in the expansion chambers or fluid channels of the feed bar.

On the other hand, a decrease in barometric pressure or an increase in temperature may readily cause an undesirable condition in the usual fountain pen should it be held in a position resulting in isolation of air in the closed end of the reservoir. Under these conditions a quantity of fluid, equal to the increase in air volume, will be forced from the reservoir and into the expansion chambers of the feed. If the expansion chambers are not of suflicient capacity, a portion of this fluid will drip from the instrument into the cap or blot the writing surface or soil the users hands or clothing. It has been observed that this is a particularly vexing problem in air travel in which extremes of temperature and pressure changes are encountered in relatively short periods of time. Of course, if the pen is positioned point upwardly when the above described expansion occurs, the excess air in the reservoir will readily escape through the feeding passageways without causing diculty.

It has been observed that a large percentage of users are not aware of or do not understand the above outlined phenomenon of air expansion in the fluid reservoir, and should a pen be found flooded they assume that it is defective and return it to the manufacturer for adjustment or replacement. This causes a great deal of needless inconvenience to the users and expense for the manufacturers since the pens are completely up to standards in a large majority of cases.

IFurthermore, in filling the usual pen, it is necessary to completely immerse the point and feed in a body of 3,@8390 Patented Apr. 2, 1963 yfluid to insure that the reservoir is properly filled. Thus, after completing the filling operation a substantial amount of fluid usually adheres to the point and feed and it is necessary to remove this residual fluid with a cloth or tissue to prevent it from blotting the Iwriting surface or soiling the users hands during subsequent use of the instrument. Also, the excess fluid in the expansion chambers should be removed to permit proper functioning thereof immediately after filling.

These problems have long been recognized in the art, and numerous suggestions and proposals have been made for their solutions. For example, it has been proposed in the past to provide a substantially air tight point protector or cap to prevent the expansion of air in the reservoir even though it should be subjected to an increase in ltemperature or a decrease in pressure. However, if the unvented cap is removed under such conditions and if at that time the pen is held flat or in a pointdown position, a quantity of fluid may suddenly be expelled from the writing element.

My United States Patent No. 3,023,737, dated March 6, 1962, discloses a fountain pen having a divided reservoir and a common member for filling said reservoir and controlling communication between the reservoir -sections and the Writing element. The present invention discloses a fountain pen of the same generic class, but having improved valve means, an improved filling member and a minimum number of parts with the attendant manufacturing and maintenance economies.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a fountain pen which is not subject to the loss of fluid as a result of temperature or barometric pressure changes.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fountain pen having a large but controlled fluid capacity.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a fountain pen which may be readily filled with a large quantity of writing fluid but which is always in condition for immediate and clean writing even though subjected to extreme and rapid changes in ambient temperature and pressure.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a fountain pen having a primary fluid reservoir which is normally isolated from the atmosphere except during the filling operation.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a fountain pen having a normally sealed primary reservoir and a normally Vented auxiliary reservoir from which fluid is Withdrawn during writing but which may be readily replenished from the primary reservoir by simple manipulation.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a fountain pen which has the characteristics mentioned above and which eliminates the necessity of immersing the writing element in fluid during the filling operation.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of a fountain pen having a large fluid reservoir divided into two sections, and manually operable valve means to control communication between said sections and the writing element.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a fountain pen having a divided reservoir and a common member for filling the reservoir sections as Well as controlling communication -between the reservoir sections and the writing element.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a fountain pen having a `divided reservoir and a filling member extensible beyond the forward end of .the Writing element for immersion in a body of writing fluid during the filling operation.

Further and additional objects of this invention will be Y 3 apparent from the following description when vtaken with the accompanying drawingsrin which:

yFIGURE l is a longitudinal sectional view of a fountain pen embodying this invention and illustrating the arrangement of parts as conditioned for writing or storage; Y

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the forward portion of the embodiment of FIGURE 1, showing a change in position of the parts as conditioned for lling andtransferring fluid between the reservoir sections; v

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the for- Y ward portion of the embodiment of FIGURE 1, showing another change in position of the parts; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of FIGURE 1.

Referring first to FIGURES l through 3 of the drawings, the fountain pen therein illustrated includes a barrel formed of a vsubstantially Vunbreakable rigidV plastic or metal'having dimensional stability and a lustrous and long wearing surface. The barrel'lil consists of lower and upper portions 11 and 12, respectively, and a substantially conically shaped barrel cap 13, all of which are'threadedly or otherwise removably secured together in axial abutting alignment.

Mounted on the barrel 10 is a forwardly projecting writing element 14, which comprises a substantially noncorrodible metallic pen point 15 of the usual conllguration, and `a feed bar 16 fabricated from a hard rubber or like material and juxtaposed against the underside of the point. For convenience in assembly and subsequent Vmaintenance, the pointrlS and feed bar 16 preferably are pressed into an annular collar or point holder 17 which, in turn, may be threadedly secured within thel open forward end of the lower barrel portion 11. For reasons well understood-in the art, the feed bar 16 is provided with a capillary ssure 18 which is adopted for fluid communication with the writing tip 19 through the slit 20.

Communication between the interior of the barrel 10' and the fissure 18 is provided through a passageway 21 extending through the central portion of the feed bar 16 and including a rearward bore 22 of increased diameter. In order to accomplish the objectives of this invention, it is necessary to divide the interior of the barrel into separate uid sections. For this purpose, arst valve is provided within the barrel of the pen dividing the interior thereof into the necessary reservoir sections, an auxiliary reservoir section 23 andra primary reservoir section 24. While it is apparent that the valve may be formed in various ways, it is shown in the drawing as including an annular resilient sealing member or gasket 25, and a first wall portion 26 providing a passage 27 adapted to `sealably and slidably engage .the resilient sealing gasket 25. The

Y iirst wall portion 26 preferably is formed as an integral part Vof the barrel 10, and includes a rearwardly extending cup like portion 28 having a plurality of transverse radially positioned apertures 29 spaced a short distance forwardly of the shoulder 3G. The apertures 29 are adapted to provide communication between the primary reservoir 24 andthe passage 27 when the gasket 25 is moved to the fllushing position to be describe-d in more detail hereinafter.

The gasket 25 is mounted in an annular recess adjacent the enlarged rearward end of an elongated cylindrical member 31 which is axially movable within the passage 27 and auxiliary reservoir 23. As indicated by the drawing, the gasket 25 tightly engages the .annular recess in the cylindrical member 31 so as to insure against the movement of fluid therebetween.

It is understood, of course, that the materials used in the sealing assembly, comprising the gasket 25 and the cylindrical member 3.1, and various other parts subject' to contact with writing fluid, are selected from materials well-known to those in the art as being non-reactive with the constituents of the usual writing fluid. Further, as used in this specillcationrthe term valve is underd stood to include the entire structure adapted to close one fluid section from another and not merely a movable part thereof. For instance, as described in the preceding paragraph, the term valve includes both the Wall portion 26 and the axially movable gasket 25,

The primary reservoir section 24 preferably is several times large-r in volume than the auxiliary reservoir section 23, serving as a sealed lluid storage area of a size limited only by the desired external dimensions of the barrel 10. In contract, the size of the auxiliary section 23 is relatively limited and its volume is calculated to insure it is functionally balanced with the capacity of a series of` transverse annular expansion chambers 32' in the feed bar 16. ln other words, the expansion chambers 32 should be equal to or greater in volume than the maximum amount of fluid which can be forced from the auxiliary reservoir under the most adverse temperature and/ or pressure conditions that the pen .is likely to encounter in normal'use.

A second valve is positioned within the barrel 10forwardly of the first valve and between the auxiliary reservoir section 23 and the writing element 14. This valve includes a second wall portion 33 and the reduced forward portion 342l of the cylindrical member 31. The wall portion 33 is molded or otherwise formed of a resilient rubber or plastic material, and it includes an outlet 35 sized to sealably and slidably engage the reduced forward portion 34. While various other arrangements may be used, the wall portion 33 is provided with an enlarged -annular v base 35 which is retained tightly within a recess formed between the rearward end of the feed bar 16 and the forward surface of a collar 37, the collar 37 being threadedly or otherwise mounted on the upper end of the point holder 17.

One of the important features of this invention is the provision of a single common member for filling the pen and for actuating the valves to control fluid communication between the reservoir sections and the writing element. This feature is accomplished by the use of an elongated filling member 3S which is coaxially mounted for longitudinal movement within the barre-l 10 and pas- Vsageway 21 of the feed 'oar 16and which defines a fluid path extending from a iluid -discharge 39 adjacent the rearward end of the primary reservoir to a iluid intake iii positioned adjacent the forward end of the feed bar 16. The sealing assembly is frictionally or otherwise mounted on the niling member 38 and is axially movable therewith as a unit. v

Mounted substantially intermediate to ends of the lling member 3S is `a ltransversely extending spline member 41, the outer ends of which are slidably received in longitudinally extending grooves 42 formed in the threaded connector 43. This is bestV shown in FIGURE 4. Engagement between the spline member 41 and grooves 42 effectively prevents rotation of the filling member 3S relative to the barrel 10.

While various filling `arrangements may be employed in this invention, the illustrated embodiment includes a Y resilient plastic or rubber sack 44- having Ian open forward end securely mounted on a flange 45 extending rearwardly of the threaded connector 43.

The rearward ended of the sack 44 preferably is yof a reduced diameter so as to telescopically receive a formed plastic or metallic cover 47. In order to insure retention of the formedy cover 47, la coupling 48- is mounted on the filling member 33 a short distance from the rearward end thereof. The cylindrical wall of the coupling includes anannular indentation adapted to rewww ber 50 is threadedly engaged in the rearward wall of the cover 47. The forward surface of the rotatable member 59 should have a smooth and polished surface to insure against damage to the rearward closed end of the sack 44. Further, the rearward end of the filling member 3S may be turned outwardly or ared by a burnishing or similar operation so that the sack 44 will not be cut or otherwise damaged when pressed thereagainst by the rotatable button member 50 as it is manually moved to the position illustrated in FIGURE l to close the fluid discharge 39. As further insurance `against damage to the sack 44, the rotatable member 59 may be provided with an enlarged shoulder 51 as a means `of limiting its forward movement relative to the cover 47.

As is readily apparent from the above description and the drawing, the sack 44 forms an integral part of the primary reservoir 24.

During normal writing use -as Well as storage of the pen, the filling member 38 and sealing assembly (gasket 25 and cylindrical member 31) are disposed in the rear- Ward position illustrated in FIGURE l :of the drawing. In this position, the gasket 25 is sealably engaged within the passage 27 to isolate the primary reservoir section from the auxiliary reservoir, yand the reduced forward portion 34 of the elongated cylindrical member 31 is spaced from the resilient second Wall portion 33. Thus, the outlet 35 between the auxiliary reservoir section 23 and the Writing element 14 is open. Accordingly, even under the most severe temperature and/ or pressure conditions, the first valve will positively prevent the escape of any air or `uid from the primary reservoir. And because the expansion chambers 32 of the feed bar 16 will retain the maximum amount of uid which might be forced from the Aauxiliary reservoir section, the heretofor relatively common dimculty of leakage is eliminated.

During writing use, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, fluid will be drawn from the auxiliary reservoir 23, through outlet 35 and passageway 21 to the capillary fissure 1S in the feed bar 16. It will then transfer from the capillary fissure 18 to slit 20 and to the writin-g tip 19.

The primary feature of the present invention is to prevent direct communicah'on between the primary reservoir 24 and the writing element 14, and to accomplish this feature it is necessary to arrange the parts of the valves so that movement `of the filling member toward the forward position shown in the FIGURE 2 sequently causes the second valve to close and the first valve to open. Thus, during normal use of the pen only one valve is open at any one time and this continuous isolation 0f the primary reservoir 24 effectively prevents expulsion `of iiuid therefrom into the writ-ing element regardless of temperature `or pressure conditions.

To sequently close .the second valve and `open the first valve to establish communication between the reservoir ections, while they are isolated from the writing point, it is merely necessary for the user to remove the barrel cap 13 and press forwardly -on the rotatable button member 50 until the forward end of the enlongated cylindrical member 31 abuts the shoulder formed by -the enlarged rearward bore 22 of the feed bar 16. The valves then assume the position illustrated in FIGURE 2 in which the gasket 2S is spaced from the first wall portion 26, and the forward sealing element, formed by the reduced forward portion 34 of the cylindrical member 31, is sealably engaged with the second wall portion 33. The passage 27 is substantially longer than the thickness of the gasket 25 and a fluid and air tight seal is maintained therebetween as long as any portion of the gasket is within the passage. Since the gasket normally is spaced from the forward end of the passage 27 when the filling member 38 is in the rearward position, the first valve remains closed during a substantial portion of the forward movement of the filling member and the sealing assembly toward the forward position and until lafter the second valve is closed. Thus, when the filling member 6 is intermediate the forward and rearward positions, both valves are closed and the reservoir sections are isolated from each other and from the writing element as clearly indicated in FIGURE 3.

As stated previously, if the user wishes to transfer fluid between the reservoir sections, it is merely necessary to remove the barrel cap 13 in order to move the filling member 3S and its associated parts to the forward position. During this operation, the upper part of the barrel 12 should remain `assembled with the balance of the pen so as to prevent any bulging of the sack 44. Due to the resiliency 0f the sack 44 and its compression within the confines `of the upper barrel portion `12, it will readily return the filling member 3S and its associated parts to the rearward position upon removal tof the forward pressure on rotatable member 50.

Should the user wish to lill the reservoir sections, however, the upper barrel portion 12 and bar-rel cap 13 should be removed as a unit from the balance of the instrument. Thus, upon forward movement of the filling member 38 to the forward position, the sack 44 will bulge outwardly to some extent. Thereafter, the fluid discharge 39 should be opened by rotating the member 50, which rotation allows the closed rearward end y46 of the sack 44 `to move rearwardly from the fluid discharge 39 because of its inherent resiliency. The exposed forward end of the filling member 3S may then be dipped in a .body of writing fluid, and the sack subjected to a squeezing pressure in vorder to evacuate the reservoir and draw iiuid thereinto .through the fluid intake 40, the filling member 3S and the uid discharge 39.

To permit free movement of air and iiuid during the filling operation, the coupling 4S is provided with apertures 52 adjacent the forward end thereof, the apertures communicating with the space between the outside surface of the filling member and the inside wall of the coupling. And since the first valve is open during the filling operation both reservoir sections may be lled with fluid in order to insure a full charge.

In order to keep the Wall of the sack 44 as thin as possible, the interior thereof is provided with a plurality of transverse reinforcing ribs 53 to assist the sack in returning to its distended condi-tion after being deflated during the filling operation.

After the reservoir sections have been completely charged with fluid, the filling member 38 and is associated parts should be moved to the rearward position in FIGURE l, and this may be accomplished merely by grasping the rotatable member 50 and moving it rearwardly relative to the lower barrel portion 11. The ,pen may then be conditioned for Writing or storage by rotating the member 50 to close the fluid discharge 39, whereafter the upper barrel portion 12 and barrel cap 13 may then be reassembled with the lower barrel portion 11.

In order to empty the filling member 38 of any residual fluid following the lling operation, the fluid discharge 39 should remain open as the filling member 38 is moved from the forward to the rearward position. During this movement, the interior volume of the sack 44 will increase slightly, thus drawing any residual fluid from the interior of the filling member into the primary reservoir section.

The upper end of the passageway 27 may be of a slightly reduced diameter in order to provide a shoulder 54, best seen in FIGURE 2, against which the gasket 25 abuts when the filling member 38 and parts carried thereon are in the rearward or writing position illustrated in FIG. l.

In addition to the three positions described previously, the filling member 38 and valves may assume what would be termed the fiushing position. In this position, the first and second valves are open simultaneously so that both reservoir sections are in communication with the atmosphere through passageway 21 in feed bar 16 and the' other associated capillary channels described previously. To reach this position, the filling member 38 and parts carried 7 Y thereon are manually moved rearwardly (after removal of the upper barrel portion 12 and the barrel cap `13) thus urging the gasket 25 within the reduced rearward end of the lpassageway 21 and causing it to move upwardly therein until it abuts the inwardly extending shoulder ilv disposed at the upper end of passage 27. Thus, the gasket 2-5 is above the apertures 29, and uid can be expelled from both reservoir sections through the writing element upon deflation of the sack 44 with the fiuid discharge 39 closed.

During normal writing use the auxiliary reservoir 23 may be replenished from time to time by moving the valves to the forward position while the pen is positioned with the point downwardly toward the writing surface. This forward movement of the valves and associated filling member 3S will result in a slight deflation of the rearward end of the sack 44, and in combination with the force of gravity the pressure in thessack 44 will cause duid to flow from the primary reservoir 24 through passage 27 and into theA auxiliary reservoir 23, while air from the auxiliary reservoir simultaneously enters the primary reservoir from the auxiliary reservoir during the transfer of fluid therebetween.

Y It is understood, of course, that the pen of the present invention is adapted to receive a cap or point protector of the usual type in order to prevent evaporation of the writing fluid from the point and feed har during periods when .the instrument is not in use. Y

While only one embodiment is illustrated and described herein it is understood that this invention is not to be limited thereto as many modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of this invention.Y Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiment described above and it is contemplated, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications which fall within its true spirit and scope.

i claim: s

' 1. A writing instrument comprising a barrel, a first Valve within said barrel dividing the interior thereof into auxiliary and primary reservoir sections, a exible wall member closing the rearward end of said barrel, a writing element mounted on the forward end of said barrel and including a pen point and a feed bar having a central aperture therethrough, a second valve within said barrel Ybetween said auxiliary reservoir section and said writing element, an axially movable filling member mounted within said barrel said filling member defining internally thereof a continuous fluid path extending from a fluid discharge adjacent the rearward end of said primary reservoir through said central aperture to an exposed fluid intake adjacent the forward end of said feed bar, said filling member being operatively connected to said valves andV movable from an intermediate position closing both said valves to a rearward position opening only said second valve and to a forward position opening only said rst valve, and manually operable means for moving said filling member between said recited positions, said means including a button member reciprocal relative to said filling member for urging said flexible wall member into sealing engagement with said fluid discharge to isolate said fluid path from said primary reservoir, :said flexible wall member being compressible whereby fluid may be drawn into said reservoirY sections upon rendering said sealing means ineffective and immersing said exposed uid intake in a body of iiuid.

2. A writing instrument comprising a barrel, a first wall portion within said barrel dividing the interior thereof into auxiliary and primary reservoirsections and providing a passage between said reservoir sections, a writing element mounted on the forward end of -said barrel, a second wall portion within said barrel and defining an voutlet between said auxiliary reservoir section and said writing element, an axially movable filling member mounted within said barrel, said filling member'defining internally thereof a continuous'uid path extending through said wall portionsv from a fluid discharge adjacent the rearwardend of said primary reservoir to an exposediiuid intake disposed beyond the forward end of said barrel adjacent said writing element, a sealing assembly carried on said filling member, and movable therewith from'an intermediate position closing both said passage and said outlet, to a rearward position opening only said outlet, and to a forward position opening only said passage, and manually operable means for moving said filling member between said recited positions, said means further being operable for selectively sealing said fluid discharge to isolate said fluid path from said primary reservoir;

3. A writing instrument comprising a barrel, a first wall portion within said barrel dividing the interior thereof into auxiliary and primary reservoir sections and providing a passage between said sections, a flexible wall member closing the rearward end of said primary reservoir, a writing element mounted on the forward end of said barrel, a second wall portion within said barrel and defining an outlet between said auxiliary reservoir section andv said writing element, an axially movable lling member mounted within said barrel, said filling member dening internally thereof a continuous fluid path extending through said passage and said outlet from a fluid discharge adjacent said exible wall member to an exposed fluid intake positioned beyondV the forward end of said barrel adjacent said writing element, a sealing assembly carried on said lling memberY and including forward and rearward sealing elements, said filling member and said sealing assembly being movable as a unit to an intermediate position in which said forward 4sealing element closes said outlet and said rearward sealing element closes said passage, to a rearward position in which said forward sealing element is spaced from said second wall portion and said rearward sealing element is disposed within said passage, and to a forward position in which said forward sealing element is positioned within said outlet and said rearward sealing element is spaced from said first wall portion, and a button member disposed rearwardly of said iiexiblewall member, said button being reciprocal relativeV to said barrel for moving said filling member between said recited positions, said button member further being reciprocal relative to said filling member for selectively urging said flexible wall portion into sealing engagement with said fluid Y discharge to isolate said primary reservoir from said-fluid Y path.

4. A writing instrument comprising an elongated barrel, a first wall portion within said barrel dividing the interior thereof into a small auxiliary reservoir 'section and a larger primary reservoir section, said first wall includingacentrally disposed passage for fluid communication between said reservoir sections, a flexible sac closing the rearward lend of said primary reservoir, a writing element mounted on the forward -end of said barrel and including a pen point and a feed bar having a central aperture therethrough, a second wall portion within said barrel forwardly of said first wall portion, said second wall portion defining a centrally disposed outlet providing communication between said auxiliary reservoir section and said writing element, an axially movablev elongated filling member mounted within said central aperture and said barrel, said lling member defining internally thereof a continuous fluid path extending through said passage and said outlet from aV fluid discharge adjacent said flexible sac to an eX- posed fluid intake adjacent the forward end of said feed bar, a sealing assembly carried on said filling member and including forward and rearward Vsealing elements, said lling member and said sealing assembly being movable as a unit to an intermediate position in which said forward sealing element closes said outlet and said rearward sealing element closes said passage, to a rearward position in which Vsaid forward sealing element is spaced from said second wall portion and said rearward sealing elementis Sealed within said passage, and to a forward position in which said forward sealing element is Isealed within said outlet and said rearward sealing element is spaced from said first wall portion, and a manually operable button being longitudinally reciprocal relative to said barrel to move said filling member between said recited positions, said button member further being longitudinally movable relative to said lling member for selectively urging said sac into sealing engagement with said fluid discharge thereby isolating said primary reservoir from said uid path.

5. A writing instrument comprising an elongated barrel, a iirst transverse wall portion Within said barrel dividing the interior thereof into a small auxiliary reservoir section and a larger primary reservoir section having a resilient rearward area, said first wall portion including a centrally disposed passage for liuid communication between said reservoir sections, a writing element mounted on the forward end of said barrel and including a pen point and a feed bar having a longitudinally extending central bore therethrough, a second transverse wall portion within said barrel forwardly of said first wall portion, said second wall portion having an outlet providing communication between said auxiliary reservoir section and said feed bar, a filling member mounted for axial movement within said central bore and said reservoir sections, said filling member providing a fluid path extending from a uid discharge adjacent the rearward end of said primary reservoir to a uid intake positioned adjacent fthe forward end of said feed bar, a sealing assembly carried on said filling member and including forward and rearward sealing elements, said filling member and said sealing assembly being movable as a unit to an intermediate position in which said forward sealing element sealably engages said outlet and said rearward sealing element sealably engages said passage, to a rearward position in which said forward sealing element is spaced from said second wall portion and said rearward sealing element sealably engages said passage, and to a forward position in which said forward sealing element sealably engages said outlet and said rearward sealing element is spaced from said rst wall p0rtion, said iiuid intake being extended beyond said pen point when said filling member is in said forward position, and manually operable closure means for selectively urging said resilient area against the rearward end of said iilling member for sealing said uid discharge, said resilient area being compressible whereby fluid may be drawn into said reservoir sections upon rendering said sealing means ineffective and immersing said fluid intake in a body of tuid.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 2,509,465 Wing May 30, 1950 2,914,028 Martin Nov. 24, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,570 Great Britain May 3, 1915 965,683 Germany June 13, 1957 

1. A WRITING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A BARREL, A FIRST VALVE WITHIN SAID BARREL DIVIDING THE INTERIOR THEREOF INTO AUXILIARY AND PRIMARY RESERVOIR SECTIONS, A FLEXIBLE WALL MEMBER CLOSING THE REARWARD END OF SAID BARREL, A WRITING ELEMENT MOUNTED ON THE FORWARD END OF SAID BARREL AND INCLUDING A PEN POINT AND A FEED BAR HAVING A CENTRAL APERTURE THERETHROUGH, A SECOND VALVE WITHIN SAID BARREL BETWEEN SAID AUXILIARY RESERVOIR SECTION AND SAID WRITING ELEMENT, AN AXIALLY MOVABLE FILLING MEMBER MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BARREL SAID FILLING MEMBER DEFINING INTERNALLY THEREOF A CONTINUOUS FLUID PATH EXTENDING FROM A FLUID DISCHARGE ADJACENT THE REARWARD END OF SAID PRIMARY RESERVOIR THROUGH SAID CENTRAL APERTURE TO AN EXPOSED FLUID INTAKE ADJACENT THE FORWARD END OF SAID FEED BAR, SAID FILLING MEMBER BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID VALVES AND MOVABLE FROM AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION CLOSING BOTH SAID VALVES TO A REARWARD POSITION OPENING ONLY SAID SECOND VALVE AND TO A FORWARD POSITION OPENING ONLY SAID FIRST VALVE, AND MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FILLING MEMBER BETWEEN SAID RECITED POSITIONS, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A BUTTON MEMBER RECIPROCAL RELATIVE TO SAID FILLING MEMBER FOR URGING SAID FLEXIBLE WALL MEMBER INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FLUID DISCHARGE TO ISOLATE SAID FLUID PATH FROM SAID PRIMARY RESERVOIR, SAID FLEXIBLE WALL MEMBER BEING COMPRESSIBLE WHEREBY FLUID MAY BE DRAWN INTO SAID RESERVOIR SECTIONS UPON RENDERING SAID SEALING MEANS INEFFECTIVE AND IMMERSING SAID EXPOSED FLUID INTAKE IN A BODY OF FLUID. 